Eli5 – How are computer viruses created without destroying the creator’s computer first?

Question

I’ve always wondered how computer viruses are made. If someone creates a virus on their own computer, wouldn’t it infect and potentially destroy their system first before it’s spread to others?

In: 249

Answer 1

How are grenades made without destroying the factory?
simple! dont test the grenades in the factory, just test it somewhere else

so a person making a virus wouldnt necessarily test the virus on his own pc but rather uses a virtual machine etc